But Who
Wastes A Thought Upon Either Of These Men?
A past President in the
United States is of less consideration than a past mayor in an
English borough.
Whatever evil he may have done during his office,
when out of office he is not worth the powder which would be
expended in an attack.
But the President has his ministers as our Queen has hers. In one
sense he has such ministers. He has high State servants who under
him take the control of the various departments, and exercise among
them a certain degree of patronage and executive power. But they
are the President's ministers, and not the ministers of the people.
Till lately there has been no chief minister among them, nor am I
prepared to say that there is any such chief at present. According
to the existing theory of the government these gentlemen have simply
been the confidential servants of the commonwealth under the
President, and have been attached each to his own department without
concerted political alliance among themselves, without any
acknowledged chief below the President, and without any combined
responsibility even to the President. If one minister was in fault -
let us say the Postmaster-General - he alone was in fault, and it
did not fall to the lot of any other minister either to defend him,
or to declare that his conduct was indefensible. Each owed his duty
and his defense to the President alone and each might be removed
alone, without explanation given by the President to the others.
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